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Is retirement finally on Dana Whiteâs mind? It seems so, according to comments made in his latest interview.

White, frontman of the UFC for eleven years, has been tireless in his role as UFC president and promoter but there has been increasing concern that his sterling efforts are a risk to his health. He disagrees but in an interview with Ariel Helwani this week, admitted that retirement has been âon my mindâ.

That said, it wonât be for a long time yet - the UFCâs deal with FOX lasts for seven years and White has no intention of going anywhere before it runs its course. And by that time, he thinks the UFC will have accomplished everything it originally set out to do when Zuffa bought the then-ailing promotion in 2001.

Helwaniâs question arose thanks to a post White made on an MMA messageboard recently, responding to critics by saying âSeven more years weâve got this FOX deal and then youâre done with me!â

Asked what that meant, he replied âIts not that I have this plan that I am out in seven years. I think that âŚ I know what the seven year plan is with this FOX deal and I think my place within this sport and in this organisationâŚ Iâve always known what it was that I wanted to do and I absolutely know that we are going to do it in the next seven years.

âI know where we are going to go and where we are going to be. In seven years the athletes that are competing in this sport, building all the weight classes, all the things that need to be done, we are going to get all this stuff done in the next seven years.

âThe one goal we [really] set out to do was get this thing in every country. We are going to be there. We are going to be there in seven years. So I am not saying âI am retiring the day this FOX deal is upâ but that is kind of whatâs on my mind.â